Art, Music, Fiber & Fireplaces

Greetings from the North Shore, where we have had a wide variety of weather this week: stormy, windy, cold, warm, snowy, sunny, or brooding clouds on a grey day. We are happy to be here on the shores of Lake Superior, whatever the weather, for sure.

It’s a very busy weekend ahead and you might have to be ready to put on your time travel suits on Friday.

First up is Art Night at Joy and Company on Thursday from 3:30-5 pm. This week, the mini-art class will feature needle felting.

Different kinds of fibers will give you different results when needle felting. Wool felt is the easiest for beginners, and linen brings a lovely texture to the table. Participants can also achieve successful results felting onto cotton, cotton blends, velvet, burlap, denim, and many other fabrics. The trick is to test it! There will be a range of felting materials available to try.

Art Night is free with a suggested $5 donation.

The Fire & Ice Family Festival will be held at Lutsen Mountains this weekend, starting on Thursday.

The event highlights include:

• Scavenger Hunt: Explore the mountain and uncover hidden treasures.
• Live Music
• Night Skiing on Ullr Mountain
• A torchlight parade
• Fireworks

For more information, click here.

Here are the events happening on Friday. Some continue through the weekend.

Blast from the Past, The Vintage Snowmobile Weekend:

The Lutsen Trail Breakers Snowmobile Club, along with Cascade Lodge, Cascade River State Park, the US Forest Service, and Visit Cook County, will hold the  10th Annual Blast From the Past Vintage Snowmobile Weekend on Friday and Saturday.

The weekend will kick off on Friday with “Tune-up Time” from noon – 5 pm at the Trail Breakers Groomer Shack at the public parking lot, six miles up the Caribou Trail. Tuned-up sleds will make a 2-mile shakedown run to the “White Sky” trail snowmobile shelter for a hot dog roast from 6 – 8 pm.

On Saturday, sleds will converge by trail and trailer to Cascade Lodge starting at 11 am for family fun and the best vintage sled competition, followed by the annual vintage snowmobile ride, marking the finish of this popular Cook County tradition.

The cost is $25 per sled. All proceeds go towards supporting Snowmobile Trails.

Music at the Winery on Friday:

This week the North Shore Winery will host Emma Tweten, talented guitarist and vocalist. Emma plays a mix of familiar folk, folk rock, and originals. Free. She will play from 3:30-5 pm. Open to all. Free.

Meet the Artists at Founders Hall on Friday:

The public is invited to greet and get to know the work of five juried Public Functionary artists-in-residence at the Grand Marais Art Colony’s Founders Hall from 5 – 6 pm on Friday.

The goal of the Public Functionary Studios x Art Colony residency is to provide space and time for work and reflection to emerging artists of color, and access to GMAC’s studios and resources at no cost to the artists. For many, it is their first experience of the North Shore. Now in its third year, PF Studios x Art Colony residency has provided invaluable space for creativity to flourish and connections to be made that continue to grow after the residency experience.

The artists include: Jelani Ellis, Sabrina Ford, Grover Hogan, Elyse Lodermeier, and Noi Sirat.

Many Tiny Lights set for Drury Lane Books on Friday:

Many Tiny Lights, a fundraiser for the Cook County Schools ISD 166 Parent Teacher Association (PTA) will be held at Drury Lane Books from 5:30-8 pm on Friday.

The annual community event will take place outside amongst more than 100  ice globe lanterns and a roaring campfire. This year’s event will include a song circle led by Britt Malec starting at 6 pm. Enjoy cookies, conversation, and cider between songs.

A $5 donation lights a candle in memory or honor of a loved one and funds the Cook County School ISD 166 PT. No donation is required to attend, however. All are welcome.

Community Square Dance at North House on Friday:

North House Folk School will host a free community square dance on Friday. The public is invited to campus at 5:30 pm for dinner on a stick (bring something to roast over the fire), followed by dancing at 6:30 pm. All dances will be taught, no experience is needed. Gabe Strand will call the dances with musicians from Finland and Duluth to play. Open to all. Free.

 Fire in the Village: Winter Fire: at the Log Cabin on Friday:

The North Shore Music Association and WTIP present Fire in the Village: Winter Fire, an evening of music, art, and community featuring Anishinaabe artist and activist Annie Humphrey, backed by Sean Carey (Bon Iver), and Jeremy Ylvisaker (Suburbs) at the Community Center 4H Log Cabin.

Fire in the Village is a collective of artists and cultural organizers based in the Anishinaabe territory of northern Minnesota.

The event begins at 6 pm with a social hour and printmaking followed by an Upcycled Fashion Show and music.

Tickets are $15-$20.  If cost is a barrier, please reach out to music@boreal.org. The public is invited.

 Snowarama For Easter Seals is at Grand Portage this weekend:

Snowmobilers from across Northwestern Ontario and Northeastern Minnesota are invited to hit the trails for the Grand Portage Lodge and Casino Snowarama for Easter Seals Kids and become part of the most successful winter fundraiser for Easter Seals Ontario. Celebrating 20 years at Grand Portage Lodge and Casino, Snowarama has raised more than $610,000 in support of children and youth with physical disabilities in the community.

The event includes a bonfire on the trail, a fabulous dinner, and  music on Saturday night featuring The Hoolies. There will be prizes for the top fundraisers, as well as additional prizes throughout the weekend. A minimum of $100 in pledges is required to participate. The more pledges you bring in, the more chances you have to win prizes.

For more information, click here.

There is a great selection of events on Saturday too: The Gunflint Mail Run Sled Dog Race and 4th Annual Galentine’s Day Market.

The Gunflint Mail Run Sled Dog Race, which had to be rescheduled because of lack of snow in January, will be held this Saturday. This year, there is a new, simplified format that offers a 10-dog 65-mile-long race with a maximum of 15 teams in the field. The race is broken into two 32.5-mile legs separated by a mandatory rest at Trail Center Lodge. The race will start at 8 am and will finish later that night.

The iconic Trail Center Lodge is located 25 miles up the historic Gunflint Trail from Grand Marais. Lodging and visitor information is available here.

The 4th annual Galantine’s Market will be held at the North Shore Winery from 12:30-5 pm on Saturday.

The market features a great selection of women-owned businesses including Kari Carter Pottery, Northern Shift Vintage, The Big Lake, The North Country, Tabla Bake Lab, North Road Knits, Sisu and Loyly, and  Special guest: Girl Scout Freja with Girl Scout cookies. The public is invited.

In Duluth, Take the A-Train every Saturday at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum with Jazz at the Depot.

The Depot band plays tunes in the museum from 3-6 pm every Saturday all winter. Enjoy a full bar, hot dogs, popcorn, and other refreshments while listening to the classic tunes. Free. Open to all.

Next week, Fiber Week starts at North House Folk School on Tuesday, Feb. 11.

This is a multi-layered event featuring workshops, presentations, public events, community events, and more. Of special interest – Fiber Friday, featuring a day of speakers, demonstrations, and community gatherings free for all.

Here’s the schedule for Fiber Friday:

• 9 am: Community, Block Printing, and Legacy in India with Lesley Darling
• 10 am: Travelogue: Scandinavian Weaving and Norwegian Folk Costumes with Caroline Feyling
• 11 am: Fiber Arts and Social Activism in South Africa with Mary Ellen Ashcroft and Cheryl Larsen
• Noon: A Textile Tour of Iceland with Cindy Bach
• 2-5 pm: Fiber Fun Fair
• 7 pm: Looking Back and Striving Forward: It is All in the Stitches with Featured Speaker Emma Ewadotter

This year’s Guest Instructor is Emma Ewadotter from Umeå, Sweden,,.

She is a talented textile artist and crafter who focuses on maximized decor and strong colors but also has deep interest and respect for the traditional designs from old rural Sweden. Emma will be teaching two classes during Fiber Week and will be the  Fiber Friday Featured Speaker.

For more information about Fiber Week and to register for classes, click here. 

On Wednesday, Feb. 12, Drury Lane Books will hold a Full Moon Poetry Reading from 6-8 pm.

Everyone is invited to participate in this monthly open mic-style reading. While the event focuses on poetry, the broader goal is human connection – don’t feel pressured to participate or strictly read poetry. Sometimes participants get to watch the moon rise over the lake, and sometimes there are guest poets, but the event is always interesting and fun. Open to all. Free. Bookseller Cynthia is the facilitator.

Also on Wednesday, the Songwriter Series continues at the Lofty Gondola at Lutsen Mountains.  This week, Martin Zellar will perform.

On Wednesday evenings, the venue is transformed into a listening room, showcasing some of the Midwest’s top songwriters. The music starts at 8 pm. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. To get tickets, click here.

Exhibits:

The exhibit, 100 Years of Art: A Gallery Exhibition, continues at the Johnson Heritage Post. The exhibit features a wide range of works from Cook County artists dating back to the 1920s to the present. The exhibit is free and open to all.

The gallery is open from 10 am to 4 pm Thursdays through Saturdays and from 1-4 pm Sundays.

Passages, an installation of photographs by Stuart Klipper is currently on view at the Tweed Museum of Art.

 The exhibit features landscapes he photographed during his travels. It continues through June 27.

The Duluth Art Institute is featuring two artists this month: Papercut artist Ellen Sandbeck and multi-media artist Tali Margolin.

Sandbeck’s exhibit is entitled: As Long as the Rivers Shall Run. In it, she continues her journey to educate and inspire positive action towards preserving the environment. The exhibition features endemic species in the Mississippi and The Nile rivers. Her work examines the impact and history of colonization on the environment.

The exhibit continues through April 18.

The exhibit, Angelique Merasty: Bird and Snowflake, recently opened at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery.

In a statement, the gallery writes: 40 years ago, Angelique Merasty was the last known person alive who practiced the art of birch bark biting. Today, she remains widely respected for her work, and her bitings have inspired a new generation of artists. The gallery has a significant collection of her bitings, and we toured regionally in a custom wood frame back in the 80s (outdated and clunky today!). This contemporary presentation reimagines the works in our collection and celebrates the legacy of the artist and the resurgence of birch bark biting in contemporary art.

The exhibit continues through March 16.

Ongoing:

 The Winter Fireplace Tour in Cook County continues throughout February.

The public is invited to enjoy the fine art of Hygge at its finest. Through February, the public can cozy up to some of the most spectacular fireplaces in the region. Click here to learn more and see where the fireplaces are.

Opportunities:

The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council is offering two grant programs this month: the Art Project Grant for Individuals and the Small Grant for Individuals.

The Art Project grant for individuals provides funding up to $4,000 to any adult artists, in any arts discipline at any stage of their career. The deadline to apply is March 16. Click here to learn more.

The Small Grant for Individuals provides funding up to $1,000 to any adult artists, in any arts discipline at any stage of their career. The deadline to apply is March 2. Click here to learn more.

Artists at Work:

Online Findings:

Photographer Jim Brandenburg has been posting videos he has taken of a fox and ravens in the wild.

 Lusten Resort: A Mound of Destruction: One Year After the Lutsen Resort Fire by Joe Friedrichs.

Read the story here.

Online Music:

Photographs:

Here’s a selection of photographs we found this week:

Wildlife:

Potpourri:

Landscapes, Skyscapes, Snowscapes & Icescapes:

Have a good weekend, everyone!

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A big shout out to Jeremy Lopez (Live Music schedule, tech advice, music suggestions), Yvonne Mills (proofreading and music suggestions), and Kari Carter (caption corrections.)  And a big thank you to Visit Cook County for its awesome Events Calendar.